The Annual Pest Cycle: Year-Round Infestations & Control

The Big Takeaways:

• Some pests stay active year-round, nesting, feeding, and reproducing in the spaces people use every day.
• Bed bugs, cockroaches, mice, termites, and even ants thrive in stable, indoor conditions where they have everything they need to survive: warmth, moisture, and reliable food sources.
• Even when pest activity appears to quiet down, it rarely stops completely on its own; understanding these patterns is the first step toward year-round pest protection.

Bed Bugs – A Traveler’s Nightmare All Year Long

Bed bugs are masters of endurance. Whether it’s the peak of summer or the middle of winter, they stay active as long as people are around to provide their next meal.

Bed bugs spread easily through common activities like college move-ins, business trips, holiday or summer travel, and secondhand furniture exchanges. They hitch rides in luggage, on clothing, or on household items that move between homes and workplaces, making it easy for infestations to spread. Once present, bed bugs hide in mattresses, baseboards, upholstered furniture, and even behind picture frames and outlets, coming out while you’re sleeping to feed.

The first signs of a problem are often subtle: tiny reddish stains on bedding, shed skins near seams, or small bites that appear overnight. Spotting these cues quickly is important to prevent an infestation from growing.

Bed bugs hide deep in furniture and wall crevices, evading DIY treatments. They also reproduce quickly, so missing even a few can restart the problem within weeks. Professional bed bug treatments are the only reliable way to eliminate them completely.

Cockroaches – The Constant Kitchen Invader

German, Oriental, and American cockroaches are among the most persistent indoor pests, capable of surviving year-round. They thrive in kitchens, bathrooms, and utility areas where warmth and moisture are consistent, and on food sources as small as crumbs and grease residue. That proximity to food and water sources means cockroaches can contaminate surfaces and spread bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. They also shed skins and produce allergens that can trigger asthma symptoms, especially in children and older adults.

Infestations rarely fade without professional intervention. And, once they settle in, their numbers can climb fast, reproducing hundreds of offspring in a year. Cockroaches hide in areas that sprays and surface cleaners can’t reach, like cracks and crevices behind appliances and along plumbing lines. Keeping kitchens dry, storing food securely, and cleaning up grease or crumbs helps reduce what attracts them, but full elimination usually requires professional help.

Rodents – Twelve Months of Chewing and Nesting

Mice and rats are active year-round, foraging outdoors in gardens, sheds, and around trash or compost areas where food and shelter are easy to find. As temperatures drop or outdoor resources become scarce, they’re often attracted indoors. It doesn’t take much for them to get inside; just a gap the size of a dime around foundations, pipes, or vents is enough. Once indoors, they build nests in attics, basements, and wall voids where warmth and protection allow them to thrive and reproduce quickly.

Rodents are constant chewers, gnawing on insulation, drywall, and even electrical wiring as they move through a home. Over time, this behavior can cause costly damage and create potential fire hazards. Rodent droppings also pose risks by contaminating surfaces and food; when disturbed, they release particles that may carry germs and trigger allergies. Droppings, shredded materials, and smudge marks along walls often reveal paths to active nesting sites, while scratching sounds or faint odors can signal a growing infestation.

Sealing openings with steel wool or caulk, storing food in rodent-proof containers, and keeping outdoor trash tightly closed can all help limit access. But, once a population takes hold, traps and deterrents rarely work for long. Professional exclusion and monitoring stop infestations at the source and help prevent them from returning.

Ants – Colonies Can Persist in the Winter

Ant activity often slows when temperatures drop, but it rarely stops completely. Many species move deeper into the ground or inside wall voids to wait out the cold, while others remain active indoors where it stays warm and dry. Once established, colonies can survive and grow throughout the year, foraging wherever food and moisture are available.

Homes offer everything ants need to thrive. Kitchens, bathrooms, and basements provide steady warmth, while even tiny crumbs or leaky pipes can sustain a colony. When outdoor resources run low, worker ants follow scent trails indoors in search of food, often appearing around sinks, pantries, or baseboards. 

Carpenter ants can be particularly problematic because they hollow out damp wood and may stay active in heated spaces. Look for coarse, sawdust-like frass near baseboards and windowsills, often in cone-shaped piles near tiny holes.

DIY sprays and baits typically eliminate visible ant foragers, but not the colony itself. Disturbing a nest can also cause colonies to split and form new satellite nests, spreading the problem instead of solving it. Professional ant control treatments target the entire colony and include ongoing monitoring to stop new activity before it returns.

Termites – Silent Destroyers Working 24/7

Termites stay active every hour of every day. While swarming is most visible in spring, colonies continue feeding and expanding long after swarmers disappear. Temperature shifts may slow their activity outdoors, but inside walls or beneath foundations, conditions stay stable enough for them to keep working year-round.

Unlike ants or cockroaches, termites do not need a visible food source to survive. They feed quietly on wood and paper, often hidden behind walls, under floors, or inside furniture. Over time, this steady feeding can weaken structural supports and cause extensive damage before any signs appear.

Homeowners often first notice discarded wings near windows, bubbling paint, or hollow-sounding wood. These subtle indicators usually point to a much larger problem within the structure. Colonies can number in the hundreds of thousands, and even limited activity can escalate without professional intervention.

Routine termite inspections and monitoring are the most effective ways to prevent termite damage. Professional treatments target colonies at their source and protect the structure from new infestations.

Other Year-Round Home Occasional Invaders

Some pests appear indoors more sporadically throughout the year but can remain active once they find warmth and shelter.

• Spiders: Indoor species such as cellar spiders and house spiders live in undisturbed areas like basements, garages, and storage spaces. They help control other insects, but can become a nuisance when populations grow.
• Silverfish: Drawn to humidity, these insects feed on paper, fabrics, and starchy materials, damaging books, clothing, and stored items.
• Pantry pests: Insects like cigarette beetles, drugstore beetles, and Indian meal moths infest stored foods such as cereals and pet food, often spreading through both open and sealed packaging or containers.

Why Year-Round Pest Protection Is Needed

Steady warmth, moisture, and food sources indoors allow infestations to continue developing out of sight. Even when activity appears to slow, colonies and nesting sites often remain intact, ready to rebound when conditions shift.

A year-round pest control plan helps interrupt that cycle. Regular inspections detect early signs of activity, while preventive treatments create barriers that stop pests from re-establishing themselves. This ongoing approach minimizes risk, protects structural integrity, and helps maintain a healthier home environment throughout the year.

Protect Your Home Year-Round

Pest activity may fluctuate, but it never truly stops. A yearly pest control plan keeps your home one step ahead in every season. Book an inspection with American Pest to learn more about comprehensive year-round pest control plans tailored to your home or business.